15 Copywriting and Content Marketing Blogs that Will Make You More Money

As you may have seen on Tuesday, we were disappointed to see that there were no copywriting blogs in last year’s Top 10 Blogs for Writers.

We think persuasive writers — content marketers and copywriters — are as worthy of cheers and accolades as our fiction-writing brothers and sisters.

So today I put together a list of 15 writing blogs I think you’ll get a lot out of.

I got lots of great suggestions for blogs to check out (thank you all), and it was tough to narrow them down to a manageable few.

When winnowing down the list, I had a few rough criteria.

First, writing advice had to be a key element of the blog.

There are hundreds of terrific social media and business blogs, and they’re wonderful resources, but we wanted to focus on sites that would make you a better writer.

I defined better writer in two ways — either as “a writer who ethically and effectively convinces customers to buy more stuff” or “a writer who’s landing more and better clients.”

We also didn’t include the big “name brand” sites — we wanted to focus on some smaller sites you might not have seen yet. Not surprisingly, we’ve got a good sample of Copyblogger guest writers here, but also plenty of folks you haven’t seen here. (Not yet, anyway).

By the way, when you click through, notice how most of these blogs make great use of their tag lines to tell you exactly how they can help solve a specific problem. Smart copywriters.

BenSettle.comBen Settle
If you’ve heard Ben speak on our radio show or you’ve read his Copyblogger posts, you know he isn’t wishy-washy. He likes to sell, and he likes to make money. He uses email marketing to do those things, and he has a lot of strong, sharp advice for email marketers. If you’re still nervous about selling, reading Ben Settle might freak you out. Which may be a good and useful thing for you.

CopyliciousKelly Parkinson
A January post makes us optimistic that Kelly will start writing actively again for this smart, funny writing blog. From her bio: “ … this is not really about copy. This is about improving your whole business.” We couldn’t agree more.

Direct CreativeDean Rieck
Dean has been one of our most popular guest writers here on Copyblogger, because he knows his stuff. His blog delivers no-nonsense tips and advice on how to improve your direct response copy. If you want to improve your persuasive writing chops, Dean’s site is a must-read.

The Domino ProjectSeth Godin
This is a small blog around Seth’s Domino Project, a digital publishing experiment. Seth’s published articles here about digital publishing, ebooks, and how they affect writers and publishing. If you’ve considered publishing a book in this century, you should probably take a look at this site.

Ghostwriter DadSean Platt
Sean has gone from a sweet, enthusiastic fledgling ghostwriter to a sweet, enthusiastic, and really, really successful marketing writer (as well as launching a thriving fiction series. He’s a busy dude). He’s publishing lots of great advice about how he made that journey, and how you can, too.

Good Copy, Bad CopyClare Lynch and David Pollack
A charming blog about “good business writing and bad. Especially the bad. Because there’s so much more of the bad.” If you ever help corporate clients communicate with their customers, you need this blog.

Harrison Amy CopywritingAmy Harrison
Amy doles out copywriting advice for professional writers and businesspeople alike. She has some nice resources on the site, including a good guide on getting your sales page done if you aren’t a professional writer. (Or maybe even if you are.)

Jeff Sexton WritesJeff Sexton
If you want to get really good as a copywriter, you have to read Jeff Sexton. He’s not afraid to dive into the thorny, complicated tangle of what makes for truly effective copywriting. Jeff’s a pro, and he writes for pros. This is a great site.

Make a Living WritingCarol Tice
The name of Carol’s blog says it all — she keeps a tight focus on professional writers and how they can make a better living. Her blog’s got writing tips, business, and marketing advice.

Men with PensJames Chartrand
The times certainly have changed. For example, now there are actual men writing for Men with Pens. What hasn’t changed is a site that mixes business and writing advice for content marketers, pulled together by James Chartrand’s no-nonsense approach to online marketing.

Success WorksHeather Lloyd-Martin
Heather’s bio describes her as “split between watching the search engines dance and pinpointing the exact direct response copywriting strategies that make people buy.” That dual focus shows up consistently in sharp, well-written articles and videos by her and her team about the art and science of SEO copywriting.

The RantJohn Carlton
The name of the blog gives you fair warning — John Carlton does enjoy the sight of his own voice. But he’s also an excellent copywriter and a terrific copywriting teacher. Look to the “Must Read” and “Popular Posts” sidebars for some classic writing advice, given with a healthy dose of … well, ranting.

RicardoBueno.comRicardo Bueno
Ricardo specializes in content marketing for real estate professionals, and he’s got lots of resources for using blogs, social media, and content to create effective marketing for that market. I love this example of a content marketer working within a well-defined niche. (If you’re a writer struggling to stand out, think about the niche you could be serving.)

The Well-Fed Writer BlogPeter Bowerman
Peter’s written some great books on going from being a starving writer to a well-fed one, and his blog continues that tradition with savvy business advice for professional copywriters. No writing advice here — it’s all about how to build your copywriting business, not your writing chops.

Words That Begin With YouJustin Lambert
Justin combines copywriting insights with content marketing advice, wrapped up in a strong writing voice. We like that! Lots of good articles here on becoming a better content marketer.

And one bonus

This isn’t an active blog, but it’s a wonderful resource that no content marketer or copywriter should overlook … Gary Bencivenga’s wonderful Marketing Bullets.

Gary’s one of the most successful copywriters in the history of the business, and he has a lot of simple (but not always easy) advice about mastering the craft of persuasive writing. We’re big Bencivenga fans and we think you will be, too. I have all of these printed out in a binder, and I refer back to them often.

No, this isn’t a complete list!

This is obviously a very partial list of the best copywriting and content marketing blogs out there — what are your must-reads?

We collected some from you in our post on Tuesday, but if we missed your favorite today, let us know in the comments.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is co-founder and CMO of Copyblogger Media. Share your favorite writing resources with her on twitter.

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Comments

I’m loving these lists you’ve been putting together this week. Very helpful in grabbing a pulse on what’s going on, and trustworthy too — because everyone trusts Copyblogger.

I notice that you have Ben Settle on the list here. I enjoyed your radio show with him not too long ago, and I have used the templates he provided from one of his guest posts here. But I can also say that Ben as good a copywriter as Ben is -especially his email writing expertise- he’s just as effective at teaching HOW to write emails that sell. I recommend his monthly print newsletter called Email Players.

Great list, Sonia. Many of these are new to me. One blog that somewhat fits in this list, is Michael Hyatt’s blog. Since he is the former CEO of a publishing company, he has a lot of great insights about actually getting a book published and how the whole process works. If there is a book in your future, Michael’s blog may be a good place to start. (michaelhyatt.com)

Great list Sonia. As a newbie freelancer, I’m really keen to read around my subject more and I’ve bookmarked a number of the sites you listed – all advice is helpful at this point in my career. Good to see Carol Tice on the list – always informative blog posts from her.

If only I had as much time as I have curiosity and hunger. I’d munch on in all of these folk’s information. I do like Justin Lambert’s site. He has a way of knowing just what us newbies need. Thanks for the list, I’ll take a drip approach and get a good look at them all.

I appreciate this list. You know what I (and possible others) could really use some help with? (Post/series idea)

Copywriting in a VERY small space, i.e., creating small banners & images that get people to click on the links to the longer copy sales page. Now there’s a real art. I think it is as much in the realm of copywriting as it is in marketing design.

I wrote a book “100 Post Ideas” that’s perfect for that. It has post ideas, the benefit of doing each particular post, examples, and sample headlines. You can get it on Amazon, or send me an email at “sean michael platt at gmail dot com” all one word and I’d be happy to email you a copy. Same with anyone else who sees this comment.

Well, this was nice to wake up to…I’ve been reading Ben Settle a lot lately so I loved seeing him on the top of this list, along with many more I know and love — Amy, Justin, and of course Peter Bowerman — having him on a free live call today at noon PST, as it happens!

Very flattered to be listed with some big-big heavyweights of copywriting here.

The way I see it, everyone has subject matter expertise on a topic people want to learn more about. Whether that’s real estate, mortgages, a chiropractic business, et cetera. People are waiting for you to teach them… The person that does that best, earns the business.

I just wanted to say thanks so much to Sonia and the whole Copyblogger team for throwing my little blog on this list with so many folks I’ve looked up to for so long. James over at MWP gave me my very first guest posting gig and a lot of inspiration before and since. Carol Tice’s timely articles gave me what I needed to believe I really could make a living doing this stuff. Peter Bowerman got me started on the freelance writing idea years ago, and continues to provide tremendous value with his blog too. And no list like this would be complete without a huge mention of the granddaddy of writing blogs, Copyblogger! I’ve learned so much here, and it’s only just begun!
Thanks again. Now I’ve got some posts to write…

Ah-ha! This explains the freaky peak in traffic today. So cool to be listed against some really great writers and copywriters. Ben Settle is a regular read of mine, and I’ve been blown away with what Carol Tice is doing for her readers and members. The only pain is there are some here I didn’t know about and I’m dying to check them all out out now but it’s nearly bed time for me!

I’m having a problem with the rss feed to your copyblogger blog feed. The http://feeds.copyblogger.com/copyblogger doesn’t work with my rss reader (Brief in Firefox). Is this a problem at your end or mine? (I was able to subscribe before your latest site update)

This is a great list! I needed to see and visit some of those blogs for my efforts to break into this market. Its a good thing to have a list of sites to be able to brush up on some of those skills. That is always a hard task to do when you are just getting started!

Terrific list Sonia !
I love John Carlton’s Rants. His voice is very authentic and he is seriously funny.
But your last is really the best. Gary Bencivenga is the man.
To all the readers out there if you can get access to the Gary Bencivenga Farewell seminar there is nothing like it. Pure gold. Ofcourse its damn expensive but worth it!

Wow Sonia, thanks. I really love the mention, but I love the the words themselves the most.

I agree on the contest results. I owe everything I have right now to smart content marketing. And I’m a far more creative writer because of it, too. And the more work I sell, the more I get to create, which fuels my creativity more. Creative writing is important, but if you want a real career as a writer, it’s important to learn to sell it, too.

This list is great, and I’m really proud to be on it.

Oh, and it’s also awesome that my wife Cindy is the one who asked if I knew I was on the list. I was in my writing cave (20K words in two days, my new record!) and had no idea. But Cindy has been reading Copyblogger religiously for the last few months because she wants to become a better write. I’m too wordy!

Quite A nice list of writers blog, it going to helps me a lost because i’m a writer to. and right now i only scratching the surface of writing all this links is going to help me to move further so thank you very much….

How thoughtful of you to provide us with such useful links. That’s one reason why I make it a point to read this blog. Those of us who are avid readers don’t have the foggiest notion about where to look for blogs that meet our needs.
There are so many blogs out there which are not up to the mark, so you have just enabled us to pick the ones which are just right for us. Please continue the good work and keep on providing us with such useful links. We value your input, because your suggestions are excellent. You have good taste. Have a good one and cheers to your life.

Hi everyone! I am a BRAND new blogger/writer/businessperson. All of this is a little overwhelming! Could anyone give me a site, or some tips on the bare essential of blogging everywhere? I’ve done a lot of research on this, and am left confused about the copywriters purpose in life:) thanks!